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Private schools in Rwanda close down as public schools become more attractive

Private
schools in Rwanda are on the verge of closing down due to low
patronage. A report by Daily Nation says desperate proprietors who face
closure of their institutions are now asking the government to sponsor
students in private schools at public rates.

But the government has rejected the idea.

The
“problem” started with the government’s twelve-year basic education
policy which made public schools affordable and preferable.

According
to the report, the Ministry of Education invested hugely in expanding
capacity and teaching infrastructure at public schools across the
country; introduced the school feeding programme and abolished school
fees.

More than 30 private schools are said to have closed
indefinitely this year, while others are struggling to stay afloat after
losing students to public schools.

School owners told Rwanda Today that even those that had managed to stay open were struggling to meet their operational costs.

“We’ve
suffered a sharp decline in the number of students enroled, yet the
school has accumulated debt, unpaid salaries and owes arrears to
suppliers. It is not clear if the school will re-open,” said Samuel
Batamba, the head teacher at College Nkunduburezi in Gakenke District.

Mr
Batamba said the school used to have 900 students but now has only 80
students after it failed to attract new students while others enrolled
in public schools.

According to statistics from the Ministry of
Education, the government owns 460 out of the more than 1,575 schools in
the country.

The rest are run by religious bodies with the
Catholic church owning 620 schools, the Anglican church 279, Adventist
church 22 and Muslim schools are at 16. Another 178 schools are run by
parents’ associations and individuals.

The most affected institutions are private boarding schools.

Figures
show that students in private schools decreased from 101,510 in 2012 to
79,076 last year while enrolment in public and government-aided schools
almost doubled in the same period.

According to John Gasana, the
Vice chairman of the Private Schools Association, competing with public
schools requires huge capital investment to improve infrastructure,
equipment and hiring skilled teachers, something many private schools
cannot afford.

Acting
President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has assured the nation that President
Muhammadu Buhari is hale and hearty and would return home as soon as he
completes the necessary tests recommended by his doctors in the United
Kingdom.

Prof. Osinbajo gave the assurance on Monday when State
House correspondents approached him for a chat shortly after his
telephone conversation with the president.